Toronto Massey Tower Condos | 206.95m | 60s | MOD Developments | Hariri Pontarini

The problem with these buildings, like many in Toronto, is that they are owned by people who don't live here - the north bank building is owned by someone who lives in Ireland and the south bank building is owned by a Montreal based company, thus leaving these buildings empty has no direct impact on there day to day life/city. Apathetic building owners/absentee owners is a really big issue we deal with daily.
 
I thought that I would add some interiors myself. There are collected from various internet sites.

All of these appear to be of the same building as are the photos posted above, however some are labelled as 205 Yonge and others as 197 Yonge, I do not know which is the actual building.

Either way, to fasodomize this building would be a tragedy.

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Michael McClelland of ERA Architects was interviewed in the paper about these two bank buildings about a year ago. He says he has been approached numerous times over the years by various groups wanting to do something with the buildings, but the size of the site and the heritage constraints render most projects economically unfeasible (at least from the perspective of the people who had approached him). He's one the city's most well-known heritage architects, and IRCC, the article gave the impression that he wasn't too hopeful we'd see anything happen too soon.
 
That's a shame, because these two buildings just sitting there leave a very prominent hole in one of Toronto's most important streets.
 
Dodged a bullet with this one I think.

These buildings have so much potential given a connecting atrium and a respectful, elegant minimalist addition. I always thought this would have been a beautiful home for the Blackstar collection or some other small gem of a museum or art gallery.
 
Can someone email Simon's and ask them to buy these two properties and put a flagship here?
 
Coruscanti Cognoscente said:
Can someone email Simon's and ask them to buy these two properties and put a flagship here?
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the avialability of tax credits in the United States for restoration of heritage buildings make such renovations financially viable. There are federal and state grants that can be utilized... We don't have the same money (Esp federal) directed at such projects.
 
TOfan696 said:
The problem with these buildings, like many in Toronto, is that they are owned by people who don't live here - the north bank building is owned by someone who lives in Ireland and the south bank building is owned by a Montreal based company, thus leaving these buildings empty has no direct impact on there day to day life/city. Apathetic building owners/absentee owners is a really big issue we deal with daily.
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Let's not forget that 205 Yonge, pictured here, (designed by EJ Lennox) was previously owned by the City of Toronto and housed the Toronto Historical Board. It was sold when the Historical Board got re-organized into Preservation Services and the building was declared "surplus". How symptomatic of the City's attitude to heritage; a major historical building by one of Toronto's greatest architects, exquisitely restored (at taxpayer's expense) dumped on the open market and put at risk by owners who don't quite know what to do with it.
 
thecharioteer said:
Let's not forget that 205 Yonge, pictured here, (designed by EJ Lennox) was previously owned by the City of Toronto and housed the Toronto Historical Board. It was sold when the Historical Board got re-organized into Preservation Services and the building was declared "surplus". How symptomatic of the City's attitude to heritage; a major historical building by one of Toronto's greatest architects, exquisitely restored (at taxpayer's expense) dumped on the open market and put at risk by owners who don't quite know what to do with it.
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How depressing.
 
I'm not so sure that the City is at fault for acquiring the property, restoring it, and then selling it to someone to use for business. It seems like they came through for the building and Toronto's heritage, but the owner is neglecting it now. That is, unless the City really could have been more selective in who they sold it to.
 
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